Florida’s latest wildlife hack? Robot rabbits. Yup, you read that right.
These aren’t your average toys—think of them as high-tech bunny decoys. Crafted from humble toy rabbits, each one has been souped-up with heaters, scent emitters, remote controls, and solar panels. The goal? To mimic marsh rabbits so convincingly that a hungry Burmese python can’t resist—including movement, body warmth, and smell.
Why go robotic? Until now, finding the snakes has been like searching for a needle in a swamp—these pythons are masters of disguise. But when the fake rabbits go “live,” hidden pythons emerge—and cameras installed in the pen signal the team that it’s time to catch brass.
This summer, around 120 of these robo-bunnies hit the field in a pilot project led by the South Florida Water Management District, in partnership with researchers at the University of Florida. The plan? Phase out the pricey and impractical use of live rabbits with a cooler, tech-savvy solution.
Each bunny costs about $4,000—not cheap, but with the platform solar powered and remotely controlled, they’re surprisingly low-maintenance. Once in place, these decoys wait for a python stalker to strike, triggering a live-feed alert to dispatch the snake wranglers.
Why bother? Burmese pythons are wreaking havoc on the Everglades’ wildlife, wiping out up to 95 % of small mammal species in some areas, plus countless birds. Thousands have been removed—over 23,000 since 2000—but population estimates vary wildly, from “tens of thousands” to a staggering 300,000. And every female can lay up to 100 eggs at once. So yes, they’re a big problem.
Early results? Encouraging. While the program is still new and being fine-tuned, officials are optimistic these robo-rabbits could become a key tool in the python-removal toolkit.
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